ISLAMABAD, Oct 27: Pakistan Football Federation’s (PFF) North Zone will soon be starting its youth football academies.

Irfan Niazi, PFF development officer for North Zone, which includes FATA, AJ&K, the Northern areas and Islamabad, told Dawn on Monday: “The academies will be PFF’s hunting ground for identifying junior talent as well as maintain a consistency in the federation’s junior development programme.

The youth academies, he said, would include players of various age groups who would be divided in various categories of Under-11 and 17.

“The clubs are currently not working at the grass-root level but our main aim here will be to train players of various age groups who will go on to serve as ready talent for the PFF,” he said.

The first phase, he said, would include developing a youth academy here at Islamabad and later at the three other centres -- AJ&K, Northern Areas and FATA.

Niazi said: “PFF will hold youth academy tournaments in various regions in order to generate consistent activity in youth development at the grass-root level”.